Severus’ Changed Positions Experience
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: Severus experiences being taught a computer course by his former students Harry and Hermione. Minerva has to take care of a sick Severus. Set after Harry's Hogwarts time. AU, sick!Severus. Sequel: Severus' Changed Positions Experience II


**Severus' Changed Positions Experience**

It was ten days before the beginning of the new school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. On this Monday morning, Hermione and Harry Potter would begin to give their new colleagues an introductory computer course, before school would start and they were going to teach the new subject of Computer Science to the students.

After finishing Hogwarts, Hermione and Harry had studied Muggle Computer Science and since then had researched to make computers work within the magical world. As soon as they had succeeded, Professor Dumbledore had sent word that he was interested in offering them a teaching position at Hogwarts. Four weeks ago, they had begun to equip their new classroom with twenty computers. All of them contained the newest version of Windows Vista and were connected by an internal network. The older students from fourth year upwards would even be able to connect to the internet and send emails.

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On this Monday morning, Severus Snape woke up, noticing that he had a terrible headache and his throat was incredible sore. '_Thank God it's still holidays_,' he thought and turned around trying to sleep some more. '_Oh no! That stupid computer course of the Gryffindor fools is going to start today_,' he suddenly remembered and wearily scrambled out of his bed. Shivering violently as the cold dungeon air made contact with his thin silky summer pyjamas, he exchanged his clothes to his school clothes with a quick wave of his wand. '_It's still cold_,' he mused, pulling a turtleneck under his robes. Noticing that he could hardly swallow, he decided to take a dose of Pepper-up potion, something he detested vehemently even if he was brewing it for the students and for the staff all the time.

Severus entered his private lab turning to the shelf with the potions stock and grudgingly pulled out a phial with Pepper-up potion. He quickly gulped down the cool liquid, shuddering at the taste and frowning at the steam that came out of his ears. '_This is absolutely disgusting_,' he decided. '_Thank God that I only get sick once in five years_.'

Knowing that Minerva or Poppy, the two overprotective elder ladies, would come and pull him by his ears to the Great Hall, if he didn't show up for breakfast, he slowly left the sanctuary of his personal quarters and dragged himself up the stairs to the Great Hall, where all his colleagues were already assembled, clearly in excited expectation of the soon to begin display of idiocy by the arrogant boy and his know-it-all wife. He made his way to the only empty seat, only too late noticing that he sat between the know-it-all and Minerva.

Setting up a menacing glare that sent out a clear warning for any attempt to address him, he contented himself to painfully swallow a cup of black coffee, ignoring the concerned look, which he saw Minerva throwing him from the corner of his eyes.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder, and Professor Dumbledore mumbled, "Severus, I know that you don't like them, but please behave yourself."

Severus slightly bowed his aching head as a sign of recognition showing that he had understood the Headmaster's warning.

"Severus, are you all right? Aren't you eating anything?" Minerva finally asked, frowning when he slightly shook his head.

"All right; shall we head to the classroom?" Professor Potter addressed his former teachers and new colleagues, causing everyone to hurriedly rise from their seats.

Afraid that dizziness might overcome him as soon as he got up like it did in the morning, Severus was the last to stand. He dragged himself behind the others out into the halls, unsure if he should feel grateful or annoyed by the fact that Minerva was accompanying him, adjusting to his own slow pace. Unfortunately, the air in the halls that was fairly cold considering that it was the end of August made his throat even scratchier and caused him to let out a few harsh coughs.

"Severus, are you all right?" Minerva enquired worriedly, motioning him over to a seat next to her.

"Yes, I'b fine," Severus replied, noticing that his voice was threatening to fade into non existence. '_Thank God it's warm here_,' he mused, busying to blow and wipe his nose that began to run a marathon as soon as they entered the classroom that was considerably heated up by the lot of computers.

When everyone was seated, Harry and Hermione greeted their former teachers turned students and announced that they wanted them to pair up for the day, because they were going to learn common knowledge and were going to do general practices, which they could do together with one of their colleagues.

Before Severus' exhausted mind had even understood what he was supposed to do, Minerva was sitting at his side, causing him to sigh in relief. '_Better her than anybody else_,' he mused, knowing that his former teacher knew him better than anyone else apart from Poppy Pomfrey, but it wouldn't do good to have her next to him today.

Busily wiping his nose every now and then he more or less let Minerva do the practices and only reached for the mouse when his older colleague advised him to do something.

By the time Harry dismissed them for lunch, Severus felt even more achy and sick than in the morning. He summoned all his energy as well as his abilities as a former spy and strode away from the group and was gone before Minerva could even notice that he wasn't following her. Back in his quarters, he gulped down another dose of Pepper-up potion, wondering why the one in the morning hadn't worked at all, before he collapsed on his bed.

He pointed his wand at his watch mumbling a charm that would alert him in time for his afternoon classes and managed to be back in the computer classroom right on time.

"Did you go back to your quarters and rest?" Minerva asked worriedly, noticing in concern that his normally white cheeks were deeply flashed and that his dark eyes were slightly glazed over.

"I had sob duties to fulfil during luchtibe," Severus replied, sounding too hoarse to fool his colleague.

Fortunately, the two computer teachers began their lesson, before Minerva could even think about fussing over him. Severus somehow made it through the class, felt incredibly relieved when they were released, and sneered when his former students assigned them a theoretical homework.

Severus slowly made his way back to his quarters looking forward to a quiet evening in bed. Coughing harshly he opened the door to his chambers, jumping startled when Minerva pushed herself into the room behind him.

Before he could force a harsh comment through his burning throat he felt a cool slender hand attach itself to his forehead and couldn't help shivering at the cold touch.

"You're burning up, Severus, and I'm going to put you right to bed," Minerva announced, motioning him into his bedroom. With a quick wave of her wand, he found himself dressed in his pyjamas, and before he could even think of protesting, he felt himself being gently pushed into a lying position.

With half open eyes he watched as Minerva conjured an old Muggle thermometer and stuck it into his mouth, making him groan inwardly. She now proceeded to conjure a cool cloth and carefully bathed his flushed face, making him shiver at the gentle touch.

After an infinite time, she finally pulled the annoying thing out of his mouth and frowned. "38.8 Severus. That's quite a fever. Why is it that you as the Potions Master are not able to take potions when you're ill?"

"I took Pepper-up potiod twice today, but it didd't help," Severus croaked. "Maybe it's dot a cold but a throat infectiod, but I dod't have a potion for that right dow. I'll just try to sleep add brew ode toborrow."

Minerva sighed. "Well, I'm going to look after you, and I promise you now that I'm going to call Poppy if you get worse. Do you at least have a fever reducing potion in your stock?"

"Of course," Severus replied wearily. "They are od the left side shelf, fourth shelf frob the top, right side of the shelf."

A few minutes later, Minerva was back, and Severus sighed in relief when she held the correct phial out for him. He gulped down the potion and visibly relaxed. "Thakks a lot, Miderva," he whispered gratefully.

"You're welcome, Severus," she replied, sitting down on the edge of his bed. Worriedly feeling his forehead she nodded contentedly. "At least that worked. Now please try to sleep, Severus, I'll be here if you need me."

When Severus woke up in the morning, he felt absolutely horrible. Seeing that Minerva was fast asleep in a comfortable looking chair at his bedside, he waved his wand, summoning another fever reducer from his lab. '_Thank God, that's better_,' he mused when he felt the potion take effect. He got up, took a shower and dressed for the day, before he returned to his bed, causing Minerva to wake up.

"How are you feeling?" she asked worriedly, casting a refreshing charm on herself.

"About the sabe as yesterday," Severus croaked, trying to suppress a shiver.

Minerva reached for the thermometer, handing it to her colleague. "Please take your temperature. Are you sure that you shouldn't stay in bed anyway?"

"Doe Minerva. You dow how eager Albus was that all of us had to attedd the course, add I prefer to attend it together with you thad beigg forced to go through it at adother tibe together with lots of dudderheads," Severus croaked, before Minerva resolutely took the thermometer out of his hands and stuck it into his mouth, receiving an angry glare in return.

"It's still 38.2, Severus, which is quite high for the morning. You should stay in bed."

Severus sighed and lay back, knowing that he wouldn't be able to force anything through his burning throat. Glad that her colleague seemed to listen for once, Minerva left his quarters and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast, promising to look in on him later on.

The Potions Master smirked. '_I'm sorry, Minerva, but I'm a Slytherin_,' he mused and got up, slowly dragging himself through the empty halls to the computer classroom, holding on to the walls with one hand to fight the dizziness that overcame him as he walked.

He reached the classroom just when his colleagues arrived from the other direction and sat down in front of one of the computers, sighing as he switched it on.

"Today we're going to show everyone tools that we estimate useful for your individual work," Harry explained, causing Severus to groan inwardly.

He waited patiently for his turn to come, trying feverishly to ignore Minerva, who was sitting at the table next to him, shooting him glances that varied from anger to concern. Finally, Hermione came and sit next to him to show him how to put together an Excel file, which he could use for listing up his ingredients and controlling his stock as well as for the potions needed by the hospital wing.

Severus tried his best to do as Hermione told him, but the letters on the screen kept turning around and blurring in front of his eyes.

"Professor, are you feeling all right?" Hermione finally asked worriedly after accidentally touching his hand that was resting on the mouse and felt extremely hot to the touch.

"Of course Ms. Potter," Severus replied wearily, hating how hoarse his voice sounded. Trying to fully concentrate on the task ahead, Severus didn't notice that Hermione turned to Minerva.

"I think Professor Snape is ill," she whispered to her old Head of House in obvious concern.

"I know that and I'm going to make him stay in bed in the afternoon," Minerva whispered back, watching Severus in growing alarm. As soon as the lesson was over, she stepped over to her stubborn colleague. "Severus, can you promise me to stay in bed over the afternoon, or do I have to take you to Poppy?" she asked sternly, grateful that her friend Poppy had already attended a computer course at St. Mungo's and would be there for Severus if necessary.

Severus growled but soon regretted it because he ended up in a coughing fit. He slowly rose from his chair, feeling the world turn around. Leaning heavily onto Minerva he dragged himself back to his quarters, where she made him lie down on his bed, magically changed his clothes, and took his temperature, gasping in horror when she saw that it exceeded forty degrees.

"I'm sorry, Severus, but I have to call Poppy. I don't think that's a cold anymore," she told the man, gently bathing his hot cheeks.

"Do Miderva, please dod't call Poppy. I have to do by hobework; otherwise Potter will take points frob Slytherid. He will take a thousadd poidts if I dod't hadd by hobework id add adother three thousand poidts if Poppy bakes be biss his class," Severus pleaded, causing Minerva to give him a terrified look.

"Severus, neither Harry nor Hermione will take points from Slytherin. You're only imagining that because you're delirious. It's not your fault that you're ill. You'll probably have to remain in bed for the rest of the week. I'll be back in a minute." She quickly rose from the edge of the bed and hurried to the fireplace in the living room.

A minute later, Poppy strode into the room, waving her wand at the sick Potions Master. "Severus, you've caught the wizard's flu, and it's a bad case. Didn't you notice earlier that you were ill?" she asked in a slightly reprimanding voice, before she spelled several potions into his stomach, causing the man to fall asleep in the blink of an eye.

During the next two days, Poppy kept Severus in bed, feeding him sleeping potions, so that she could be sure he'd obey and get better. On Friday, she reluctantly allowed him to get up but firmly interdicted him to attend his class.

"But I've already missed half of the computer course," Severus complained, still sounding slightly hoarse. "I just have to go there today."

Poppy firmly shook her head. "No Severus. You're still running a temperature. I'm sure Harry and Hermione will be able to teach you in private at another time. Please rest today in order to be completely well when school starts again next week. I'll be back later."

In the evening, Minerva came to look after Severus like she had done every day while he was sick. "I spoke with the Potters, and Hermione promised that she would give you a private lesson tomorrow and on Sunday. Please go to the computer classroom after breakfast. I expect to see you at breakfast in the Great Hall."

'_Oh no_,' Severus thought but grudgingly agreed, noticing that his colleague looked absolutely exhausted that evening. "Are you all right, Minerva?" he asked in concern.

"No, I think I'm coming down with the flu as well. I'm sorry, Severus, but I better go and see Poppy considering that school is going to start again in a few days." She threw him a quick smile and slowly left the room.

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On Saturday morning, Severus obediently entered the computer classroom, seeing that Hermione was already waiting for him. She patiently taught him what he had missed, causing him to notice that she was a very good teacher, but he would rather bite his tongue off than admit that to the know-it-all.

"You're already so far that I think that's enough for today. We'll only need tomorrow morning to finish the rest of the course," she told him at lunchtime, dismissing him in a gentle but slightly hoarse voice, causing him to throw her a concerned look.

'_I just hope she didn't catch the flu from me as well; bad enough that Minerva seems to have caught it_,' he mused, while he headed up to the hospital wing to look after his older colleague.

When he reached the computer classroom on Sunday morning, he noticed horrified that Harry was there instead of Hermione. "My wife is ill, so I'm going to teach you today," Harry told him in a businesslike voice. "You will practise what you've learned during the week. Please put up a list with finished potions, which you brewed for the hospital wing, and send the list as an email attachment to Madam Pomfrey."

Seeing that Severus gave him a weary look, he added impatiently, "Now please get to work, Professor. I don't have all day since I have to look after my wife," causing images of Potions classes, during which he had ridiculed a small boy with messy hair, to appear in the front of his mind.

"Yes," he replied in a voice that held no malice and set to work.

**The End**

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HP - Please have a look at the sequel!

_As you know, I'm not a native speaker of English; please excuse my mistakes or tell me, so that I can correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to __Mrs. Rowling__, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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